Sail boat control device



March 7, 1961 H. G. OLSEN 2,973,737

SAIL BOAT CONTROL DEVICE Filed July 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORHARCLD q. OLSEN A ORNEY March 7, 1961 H. G. OLSEN 2,973,737

SAIL BOAT CONTROL DEVICE Filed July 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORHAROLD q. OLSEN ATTORNEY SAIL BOAT CONTROL DEVICE Harold G.lsen, 418George Road, Clifiside Park, NJ.

Filed July 6, 1959, Ser. No. 824,990

2 Claims. (Cl. 114-98) This invention relates to a sail boat controldevice wherein the boom is pivotally positioned on the mast and means sointerconnect the jib sail forearm with the boom as to control thepositions of the main sail and jib sail to conform'to wind conditions asencountered. The invention eliminates many sail linm and prevents theremaining sail lines from fouling, leaves the foredeck clear of saillines and sail line deck fittings and thus allows persons to walk on,the foredeck on opposite sides of'the foresail without fear of trippingon sail lines or sail line deck fittings and enables the operator withone arm to relatively adjust andkeep constant and ready control of themain sail and jib sail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a schematic top plan view of a boat provided with thecontrol device of the invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the boom and jib sail forearmand interconnecting means therefor, pursuant to the invention,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, elevational view of the deck, main mast, boomand forearm interconnected therewith pursuant to the invention,

Figure 4 is a schematic viewillustrating a relative position to whichthe interconnected jib forearm and boom may be moved, and

Figure 5 is a schematic view showing the parts moved to anotherposition.

The drawings illustrate the application of the invention to a sail boathaving a deck 11 on which a mast 12 (Figures 2 and 3) is mounted. Themain sail 14, conventionally secured to the mast, is secured as at 15 tothe boom 16 which, pursuant to the invention, is pivotally or rotatablyjournaled, as by the ring 42 fixed thereto (Figure 2), on the mast 12.Halyards 18, 19 (Figure 3) are secured to the boom adjacent the free endthereof and at their other opposite ends to sides of the boat (Figure1). The jib sail 20 (Figure 3) may be secured at two points to the bowof the boat and to the top of the mast 12, and at the third point to theforearm adjusting the arm 21. The latter, pursuant to the invention(Figure 3) is rotatably journaled or pivoted as by hub 47 (Figure 3) ona stud 23 which may be secured to a housing 24 which in turn may besecured to the mast 12 or to the deck 11 of the boat. By thisarrangement, it will be noted (Figures 1, 3 and 5 for example) that theboom and arm (16 and 21) are pivotally journaled in line along thelongitudinal center (40, Figure 4) of the boat and when they aredisposed in line relation (Figure l), the main sail and jib sail will becorrespondingly arranged in line.

Control means are provided for movement of the jib sail directlyrelative to and responsive to movement of the main sail boom so that theoperator of the boat, by simply pulling on either halyard 18 or 19moving the boom to one side or the other of the boat, may automaticallyadjust the position of the main and jib sails to wind conditionsencountered or expected, leaving the operators other hand free tooperate the rudder tiller 13.

sail and boom along the lines 26, 28, respectively.

For certain wind conditions, the relative arrangement of the main sailand the jib sail in line (Figure 1) relation is desirable; for otherconditions, the other arrangements shown (Figures 1, 4 and 5) aredesirable.

Pursuant to the invention, means are secured to the boom 16 incomplementary interengagement with the forearm adjusting arm 21 of thejib sail 211 interconnecting the boomand forearm adjusting arm so thaton rotation of the boom toward either side of the boat, the forearmadjusting arm will move synchronously therewith toward that side of theboat. The arrangement is such that the boom and forearm adjusting armwill rotate toward each other up to a predetermined. point (25, 27,Figure 1), con tinued rotation of the bottom beyond line v25 to point26, Figure 1, resulting in a reversal of direction of movement of thejib forearm adjusting arm 21 (to line 23, Figure l). The movement of theboom and forearm adjusting arm initially from thein-line position on thelongitudinal axis of the boat (full lines, Figure 1) may be at a givenratio, such as a one-to-one ratio, to the angle lines 25, 27 until windconditions make it desirable to position the main Interengaging meansprovided pursuant to this invention for the boom 16'and for the forearmadjusting arm 21'of the jib sail are such that continued movement of theboom 16 (as indicated by the dotted arrow 35, Figure 1) beyond thejust-mentioned point 25 will reverse the direction of rotation of theforearm adjusting arm 21 of the jib sail, as indicated by the dottedarrow 36 (Figure 1).

The interconnecting means are preferably such that initial rotation ofthe boom 16 to the position 25 (Figure 1) through the are marked byarrow 33 will result in a one-to-one complementary rotation of theforearm adjusting arm 21 through the are 34 to line 27, but thecontinued rotation of the boom 16, as noted at 35 to line 26, willresult in reversal of direction (arrow 45) of rotation of the forearmadjusting arm 21 past the longitudinal axial center 41) (Figure 4) ofthe boat and to the line 28 through arc 36 in a preferably two-to-oneratio. Thus, when the boom 16 and thus the main sail 14 aresubstantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis 40 of the boat,the forearm adjusting arm 21 and jib sail 20 will be at an obtuse angleto the main sail, as indicated by the lines 26, 28, respectively (Figure1). Where it is desired to achieve a reverse relative sail arrangement(Figure 5),

rotation of the boom from its in-line (Figure 1) position through theare 37 toward the side 38 of the boat, will correspondingly rotate theforearm adjusting arm 21 in the direction of arrow 39 through arc 41 toside 38 of the boat, disposing the main sail 14, and jib sail 24} alongthe lines 29, 31 (Figure 5). Continued rotation of the boom past line 29to line 30 (Figure 5) thus disposing the main sail 14 at substantialright angles to the longitudinal axis 411 of the boat, will result inreversal of direction of rotation of the forearm adjusting arm 21asindicated by the arrow 46, moving the jib sail 211 to the line indicatedat 32 (Figure 5).

The foregoing disclosure of the conception of the problem and means forsolving it will enable those skilled in this art to attain theobjectives mentioned by providing suitable interengaging means on theboom and jib and forearm adjusting arm respectively.

. A convenient means illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 comprises a gear 42fixed to a ring 42 which, in turn, is keyed to the boom 16, in mesh witha gear segment 52 integrally extending from the forearm adjusting arm 21of the jib sail 20 and pivoted on stud 23. Meshing of the gears 42, 52by movement of the boom 16 from the position shown in full lines inFigure 1 to the dotted line position 25 indicated through the arc 33will thus rotate the forearm adjusting arm 21 through the are 34 to theline 27. Rotation of the boom in the reverse direction i the boat (forexample to the lines 26, 28 position shown in Figure -1 or to theposition shown in full lines in Figure 4), may be attained as follows:Starting with the boom and jib sail forearm adjusting arm at the lines25, 27, respectively, in Figure 1, the gears 42 and 52 will be at theirextreme point of contact. Continued rotation of the boom 16 along theare 35 to line 26 will rotate the gears 42 and 52 out of engagement witheach other and will rotate the gear 43 keyed to boom 16 through ring 42"keyed to ring 17 and rotating on mast 12 into mesh with gear 60journalled at 61 into mesh with upper pinion 62 (Figure 3) keyed to thehub 47 to which the forearm adjusting aim 21 is also keyed (said hub 47being rotatable on the stud 23), rotating the jib forearm adjusting armfrom the line 27 to line 28 position while the boom 16 moves from theline 25 to line 26 position.

Similarly, starting with the boom 16 at the position indicated by line29 of Figure and with the forearm adjusting arm at the positionindicated by the line 31, said boom and forearm adjusting arm havingbeen moved to said positions on meshing of the gears 42, 52, said gearsat that time being at their extreme points of engagement. Furtherrotation of the boom from line 29 to line 31 will disengage the gears42, 52 and will move gear 44 into meshing engagement with the gear 53which is pivoted at 54, rotating gear 53 into mesh with lower pinion 63keyed to hub 47, thus rotating the latter through the arcs 41, 46 tomove the forearm adjusting arm 21 to the line 32 position while the boom16 is being moved to the line 30 position. The gears mesh as follows, atdifferent levels:

4 and 62 53 and 63 52 and 42 43 and 60 44 and 53 I claim:

1. In a sailboat having a mast, a boom and a mainsail secured to themast and boom and a jib sail and forearm adjusting arm for the jib sail,a device for controlled movement of the jib sail relative to movement ofthe boom-and thus of the mainsail, said device comprising means forjournalling the boom on the mast, means for pivotally mounting theforearm adjusting arm of the jib sail in spaced relation to the mast,complementary interengaging means secured to the boom and forearmadjusting arm of the jib interconnecting said boom and forearm adjustingarm so that, on movement of the boom pivotally and toward one side ofthe sailboat, the forearm adjusting arm will move synchronouslytherewith, said interconnecting means being such that on said movementof the boom, the forearm adjusting arm will so move synchronouslytherewith toward the boom for an arc of rotation of the boom and oncontinued movement of the boom in extension of said are the forearmadjusting arm will move synchronously therewith but in a reversedirection away from the boom.

2. In a sailboat as set forth in claim 1, said interconnecting meansbeing complementary gear means connected to the boom and connected tothe forearm adjusting arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,429,156 Moraitis Sept. 12, 1922 1,891,555 Rockwood Dec. 20, 19322,106,209 Edge Ian. 25, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 392,451 Great Britain May18, 1933 623,036 Great Britain May 11, 1949

